What appears to be a very violent hostage situation turns out to be a training exercise -- one that Lieutenant Howard and the sergeant playing the role of an active shooter say that Major Crimes has failed. It doesn't help that they get a call about a murder and Provenza and the team leave before taking a written exam.

At the crime scene, they find a dead woman in the fetal position, wearing high heels and a fancy dress. Raydor makes the decision to call paramedics rather than the coroner to try to keep the discovery quiet so that the press won't alert the killer that the body has been found. Provenza surmises that the woman may have been on a date at the time of her murder and forensic evidence shows she was strangled and bones broken in her neck.

The woman is identified as Allie King. Her boyfriend, Jeffrey Day, has also been looking for her, with the help of a private investigator named Clark Furman. Clark refuses to reveal the name of his client but Major Crimes gets it off a Facebook post.

Meanwhile, Provenza's attitude towards training has angered Deputy Chief Winnie Davis, who makes Raydor stop watching an interview with a suspect to berate her and accuse her of undermining her authority. She is annoyed that Sharon doesn't really care and especially dislikes that she is dating Flynn.

Rusty also has a problem needing Raydor's help. His boyfriend is away and texts him that they need to talk about their future but won't talk over the phone, and Rusty is convinced they are about to break up. Plus Buzz won't talk to him even though he is clearly upset.

The investigation leads to Allie's ex, Trent Meyer, who had beaten her in the past. The detectives talk him into letting them search his house and they find Allie's coat. Later, they are watching him and following him but a patrol officer pulls him over. Raydor contacts the patrol officer and asks her to let Trent go so the investigation can continue. The patrol officer says no because Trent is driving drunk. Davis accuses Raydor of bullying the officer and Raydor stands up to her again. Howard tells Davis she's sabotaging her own chances of getting the promotion she wants but she won't listen.

Trent turns out to have got a black eye from a different ex who punched him when he broke up with her to get back together with Allie. Major Crimes realizes that Jeffrey had bought a $600,000 ring for Allie and that her body might have fit in the front trunk of his Tesla. They bring Clark and Jeffrey in and interrogate them separately.

As Jeffrey listens to Raydor he gets more and more angry. Rusty is nervous about Jeffrey being so close to his mom, and he turns out to be right as Jeffrey punches Sharon. Rusty and Flynn both have to be held back. Sharon tells Hobbs to hold Jeffrey for assaulting an officer before going to get ice.

Jeffrey is arrested for killing Allie. Sharon warns Howard to be careful of Davis. He replies that she has to be careful -- Stroh may be back.

In the meantime, Gus asks Rusty to move in with him.